Once Upon a Christmas Carol
by FaerieTales4ever
Summary: Henry decides to throw a town wide Christmas Party to help Gold regain his Christmas Spirit. Cover made by Emile Brown! Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello Lovlies! This is my first Christmas themed story inspired by a prompt given by fanfictionaddiction as a role play option on out Facebook Group. If you're reading, hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time and all character's and familiar dialogue from the show belong to Disney/ABC and the show's brilliant creators and writers. No profit is being made from this just having fun with my favorite show.**

1

**Operation Scrooge **

Emma shuffled her way along Main Street, pulling her scarf up to her nose to block out the frigid December air. She couldn't believe she had talked herself into this. The last time she'd gone Christmas shopping was, well, never. Snow, (Calling her that was strange, but calling her mom just wasn't gonna happen…yet) had joked it was just because Emma had "an allergy to shopping," as she put it. Which, the girl had to admit, was true.

That wasn't the sole reason why she'd never gone Christmas shopping though. As strange as it seemed, she'd never had any one to buy gifts for before. Growing up as an orphan had been tough on Emma Swan. She learned real quick that no one just handed things to her on a silver spoon. If she wanted something, she had to fight for it.

Most of her Christmas's ended up duds because of this. Once in awhile she would have a nice foster parent for the holidays who would spoil her with a new coat and maybe some candy in her stockings, but that was about it. She never grew up believing in things like Santa Claus, (although, if a town full of fairy tale characters could be dropped in the middle of Maine by an evil queen, who knew?) and only once did she ever get to bake cookies and she _never_ helped decorate the Christmas tree; that was always the older kid's jobs. She had said as much to Mary Margaret one night over hot coco, and when Mama Snow came back into existence, she was bound and determined to change that.

Christmas music had been floating around the house since Thanksgiving, and back at home, lights were being lit both inside and outside the apartment complex. The cookie baking, house decorating marathon, which Henry had nicknamed Operation Tinsel, was to start tonight when she got home. Snow wanted to do it sooner, but Henry asked them to wait until he was home from school. All this Christmas cheer was making the blonde's head spin. Her son, on the other hand, was having a ball. "No one's too old for Christmas Ma," he'd told her when she claimed 28 was way past acceptable "Christmas enthusiasm" age.

Emma smiled to herself in the cold morning air. Though she would never admit it, she was glad they were making a big fuss about the holiday. It was her first Christmas with Henry and everyone else's first holiday since the curse. They deserved to go all out if they wanted to.

It was also the reason Emma was out so early, heading to see her least favorite person in Stroybrooke. She didn't want to do it, but Gold was the only one who could help her with this particular mission.

The door jingled as she stepped inside, stamping her feet and rubbing her hands together in an effort to stay warm.

"Good morning Emma," Belle greeted from behind the counter.

"Hey, Belle," Emma said, raising her eyebrow in surprise. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Oh, Rumple hasn't been feeling well, so I said I'd help out."

"Whoever it is, tell them to get the hell out of my shop!" came the pawnbroker's voice from the back room.

Belle frowned, "Don't mind him," she said, coming out from behind the counter as Emma begin to look around, scouring for the perfect gifts for her family, "He's been in a bit of a mood lately. How can I help?"

Emma chuckled, "More than usual?" she joked. Belle stared at her disapprovingly. She cleared her throat, "Right, so um, I'm looking for something to give my family for Christmas," she admitted, blushing.

"Christmas?" Belle asked confused, "What's that?"

Emma mentally face palmed herself. Of course Belle had no clue about Christmas. The girl had been locked up in an insane asylum for 28 years! The blonde racked her brain, trying to think of the best way to explain. "It's um… it's like this big holiday where everyone comes over and eats a lot and you light a tree and Santa comes and brings the kids gift's and-" she looked at Belle, realizing she had perplexed her even farther.

"You hang lanterns from trees?" she asked, seeming both alarmed and intrigued, "but wouldn't the fire burn them down?"

Emma bit back a laugh. How in the world was she supposed to explain the entirety of Christmas to someone from a whole other _world, _which she knew _nothing _about in just one sentence? Then she had an idea. She set down the old fashioned suit she'd been thinking of buying for her father and dragged Belle toward the door. "Come on," she said, "Snow will need all the help she can get with the decorations, and I'm sure she can explain it better than me,"

Belle laughed as the cold air hit her in a whoosh, "If you say so."

When they reached the apartment, Emma shook off her scarf and hat, and hung them on the rack by the front door. Then did the same for Belle.

"I'm home," she called, relishing the word as she said them. Like Christmas shopping and many other things, she never had a reason to say those words before and as odd as it was, she liked the way they felt on her tongue. They reminded her that as insufferable as they could be sometimes, she finally had a family to come home to.

_Snap out of it Swan_, she thought to herself. She'd been having mushy thoughts a lot lately and it unnerved her. Emma Swan did not do mushy. Period. She led Belle into the kitchen, where Mary Margaret was pulling a freshly baked batch of cookies out of the oven. Emma reached for one, but Snow swatted her hand away.

"Hot," she said sternly. Emma just smiled.

"I tried that too," Henry smiled from his flour-covered place behind the counter. "Grams did the same thing to me."

"Hey kid," Emma said, ruffling his hair affectionately. "I hope you don't mind Mary Margaret, I brought over an extra pair of hands to help with the decorating," She gestured to Gold's wife.

Snow quickly removed her oven mitts and wiped her hands on her apron. "Of course not," she said, smiling as she pulled Belle into a hug. "We need all the help we can get."

Belle grinned, "I've never celebrated Christmas before. Emma tells me you light trees on fire?"

Snow giggled as she separated from her friend, "Not exactly. David's in the living room lighting the tree now, we can join him while we wait for the cookies to cool." Belle nodded enthusiastically and Snow followed her as she made her way to the couch. "Where's Gold? I thought you two were inseparable since the wedding," she joked.

Belle giggled, "He's been a bit under the weather lately. He's back at the shop, resting."

"Oh, yeah," Emma called from the kitchen, "What's up with Gold the Grouch? He didn't sound sick."

Something's wrong with Gold?" Snow asked, turning to look at her friend.

Henry laughed at his mother's joke. This time, Belle joined in. "I'm really not sure," she answered honestly as Emma and Henry came into the living room baring five steaming cups of coco.

"To keep out the cold," Emma smiled, handing a cup to Belle and then her mother, setting down the third for David when he was done with the tree.

"Thanks," Belle said, blushing as the hot steam warmed her cheeks. "Anyway, to answer you're question Snow, he said he hasn't been feeling well lately, although the only thing I noticed that was wrong with him is his old temper seems to have made a comeback."

"Oh?"

"Yes, all he's done for the past week is grumble from the back of his shop. He was going to close it today, until I decided to come in and help."

"Why would he want to close it so close to the holidays?" Snow asked.

Belle shrugged "It seems the closer we get to this…Christmas, is that what it's called?"

All four of the others nodded approvingly.

"Ok," Belle smiled, "It seems the closer it comes, the happier everyone else is, the grumpier he is."

"Sound's like a regular Ebenezer Scrooge to me," Emma laughed. She was met with four blank stares.

_Seriously? _she thought. _You people are _fairytale characters _and haven't heard of Ebenezer Scrooge?_ "None of you have heard of _A Christmas Carol_?" she asked, "Henry?"

The kid looked at her and thought hard, "Is that the one about the guy who is really selfish and gets visited by ghosts on Christmas Eve?"

Emma smiled, "You got it kid."

"Oooh that's a good one! You're right, Mr. Gold does sound like Scrooge," he smiled, "We should help him."

Emma chuckled; this didn't surprise her a bit. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

"'Scuse me!" David, interjected laughing, "confused Prince in the room. What are you two babbling about?"

Emma smiled, "You wanna tell 'em kid?"

Henry's eyes lit up, "Yeah! Come on Gramps, come sit."

David chuckled and abandoned the still tangled Christmas lights, "Ok sport," he said, picking up the still warm coco plopping himself on the couch, "lay it on us."

Henry was bouncing up and down in excitement, "Ok, Sso there's this guy right? And he's a really rich businessman, but he's also really selfish. He hates Christmas because he has no family to spend it with, and his only friend, and business partner, um, Jack?" he looked at Emma for confirmation.

"Jacob," she corrected, "Jacob Marley"

"That's it!" Henry said, "Anyway he died on Christmas Eve."

"Ouch," said David, playing along.

"I know, right? So the year after he dies, Scrooge becomes even more selfish, and when he doesn't let his best employee, Bob Crachet, off for Christmas, Marley comes to visit him."

Snow's eyes widen in faux anticipation, but she's really enjoying seeing her grandson become so animated with his story telling.

Henry smiles at his Grandma's reaction and continues eagerly, "Marley tells Ebenezer he's too selfish, and that if he doesn't do something soon, he'll end up like him, covered in heavy changes representing all the bad stuff he did during his life."

This time it was Belle who gasped. Henry giggled.

"At First Scrooge thinks he's hallucinating. Ghosts aren't real. Jacob tells him he'll be visited by three sprits that night; the Ghosts of Christmas, Past, Present, and Future. If he can learn to change his ways by the next day, he won't end up like Marley."

"So all we need to do is find a bunch of ghosts to kidnap Gold?" asked David skeptically.

"No!" Henry laughed, "The ghost's showed Scrooge the man he used to be, before he became obsessed with money, and Scrooge realized he could change back. I remember dad telling me one time that Christmas was the day Gold chose his powers over him and broke the deal. If we can get Gold and his son to have a good Christmas together, he'll be happy again." Henry beamed at the adults.

Emma wanted to tell him that it was probably going to be a little more complicated than that, but she couldn't spoil his fun. "And how would we do that?" she asked instead.

Henry thought about it. "What if, we have a huge town wide Christmas Party, then everyone could be in on it, and Mr. Gold would see how great Christmas really is!"

Snow perked up, "You know, it's been a while since we had a good party. I'm in."

"We're all in kid," David said, winking at Emma.

"Great," Henry smiled, "We can call it, Operation Scrooge!"

Emma sat back and smiled at her son, this sure was going to be an interesting Christmas.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here, finally, is chapter 2. This one kind of ran away from me, so it's a bit Regina/Henry centric. Fear not the Christmas Carol part is coming, but there are still 1 chapter of party planning left, so enjoy the fluff while you can dearies :) A big shout out to Emily Brown for my awesome cover!**

**Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time and all character's and familiar dialogue from the show belong to Disney/ABC and the show's brilliant creators and writers. No profit is being made from this just having fun with my favorite show. Christmas Carol is a Charles Dickens story, not mine :)**

2

**Codename: Gingerbread**

After nearly an hour of her son bouncing off the walls out of excitement for the party, Emma begin to worry. How were they supposed to pull something as extravagant as a town-wide Christmas party together in five days? That was quite the task to take on. The blonde also wondered if a party would be enough to lift the grumpy old pawnbroker from his current slump. She doubted as much, but hated to spoil her kid's fun.

"Why don't we have it on New Years?" she suggested mildly.

Henry's face went slack immediately, and his bottom lip stuck out in a small pout, "But mom!"

"Not, cancel it," she assured him, "Just postpone it. That way, everyone can have ten days to get ready, instead of five."

But Henry had vetoed the idea quicker than she could say Christmas cookies. "It won't do any good if he doesn't have Christmas Spirit in time for Christmas," he insisted, "Besides, it's our first Christmas as a family, and I want it to be special." When he'd followed up that already sentimental comment with his best puppy dog eyes, his Ma hadn't stood a chance.

She rolled her eyes indulgently, allowing a small smile to escape. He was just so _damn _cute! "All right, kid, you win." she sighed.

"Yes!" he whooped, pumping his fist in the air. The whole room laughed.

"Well," Snow said from her perching spot on the couch next to David. "If we're going to do this, we've got a lot of work ahead of us. We'll need invitations and food and decorations, and presents, and music and-"

"And a location." David interrupted, chuckling at his wife's enthusiasm.

"Right," Snow giggled, blushing sheepishly.

"Where in the world are we going to find a place big enough to fit the whole town?" Emma asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"My mom can book Town Hall," Henry volunteered.

All the adults glanced at each other uneasily. Regina had been trying to change, but there were numerous people in town that still held some pretty large, vindictive grudges against the former Queen. No one was quite sure what would happen if they asked for her help. If people found out, they might think she was up to something and come at her en mass. Some thought she deserved whatever she got, but they had all agreed to try and keep her safe-for Henry's sake. Personally, Emma thought the whole thing was being over exaggerated. Hell, the blonde would be the first to admit she didn't trust Regina. She was certainly a snake, but that didn't mean she had to be burned at the stake, did it? But then again, she'd only known Madam Mayor, not the Evil Queen. That was still too hard for her to wrap her head around.

Seeing the hesitant looks on his family's faces, Henry huffed loudly and stomped his foot in frustration, "C'mon guys!" he pleaded, "I know she's done some horrible things, but she's trying to change, I know it. When I said I wanted this Christmas to be special, I meant for the _whole_ family. That includes my mom."

Snow and David exchanged nervous glances, unsure how to discourage their grandson from his current plan without upsetting him. Finally, Charming bent down so they were eye-level with each other, "Look bud," he said calmly, "we know you love your mom, but-"

"But we just don't think her helping us would be the best idea," Snow continued gently, "she's still a little…unstable," she winced using that word but couldn't think of another way to say it. "We just don't want anyone getting hurt."

Henry clenched his fists at his sides, "What wrong with you guys?" he asked incredulously, "I asked you to throw a party for _The Dark One_ and you said yes without a second thought," he glared at Emma and his grandparents, "but when I ask if Regina, the woman who _raised _me for the past eleven years can help, _that's _when you look at me like I'm crazy?" He raised his eyebrow as if to say _Seriously?_ Emma almost laughed at how much his expression mirrored the one his adoptive mother had given her so often when Henry first brought her to town. "You already kept me away from her since August and she hasn't done a thing, can't I at least see her for the holidays?" he pleaded.

"Kid's got a point," Emma shrugged.

"Emma-" Snow cautioned, but the blonde ignored her.

"We can ask your mom for help-" she said.

"_Yes!" _he enthused, hugging her, "Thanks Ma!"

Emma chuckled softly, "_but _I'm going with you. Just in case," her parents frowned, but Emma didn't care. Henry was right, his mom _was _trying to change; Emma had seen it. And, if all the kid wanted for Christmas was to have his whole family together, they should at least give it a shot.

Before they left, Henry gave the rest of the group their assignments. Belle's job was to find Bae and convince him to come to the party. Neal had grown close with Belle since the wedding, even going so far as to call her Mom, which everyone knew made Belle ecstatic. He and his father however, were still on rocky territory. Henry was counting on the beauty to get him on board; otherwise, the plan for the party would be ruined.

David had to convince Granny to make the food, though Henry asked him not to let Granny do the baked goods. ("Granny's are great, but Mom's are better.") Emma had told her father on the sly to ask Granny for a few pies, just in case Regina didn't agree. Snow was going to follow him, because she and Ruby were going to be in charge of the invitations. Ruby was known as the town gossip, so Henry knew word about the party would spread like wildfire.

"What about me?" Emma asked. She was already taking him to Regina's, but he'd asked her to just drop him of and leave him with a walkie-talkie. At first, she'd been dead set against it, but once Henry pointed out how much easier it would be for his mom to listen if Emma wasn't there to scrutinize her every move, the blonde had a hard time arguing; though she made him promise to radio her if anything went wrong.

"You get to get the decorations," Henry smiled.

_Oh great. _Emma thought, _back to see Gold. _"Why is that _my _job?" she whined.

"Because you're the best at finding things. We can't let Gold know what we're planning or it will ruin the surprise."

Emma groaned, but agreed.

* * *

Now, the two of then were shuffling down Miffin Street, practically running to stay warm.

"Tell me again why we can't just _drive _to your mom's house?" Emma gripped, breathing labored slightly from the cold.

"'Cause she knows _I _don't drive a yellow bug and -no offense Ma- but every time she sees you, she's convinced your going to take her to jail."

"Ouch," Emma said. She was a bit offended, but couldn't really blame Regina. All anyone had done since the curse broke was praise Emma for saving them, and try to think of the perfect way to punish the Evil Queen for her crimes. And, until Henry convinced her otherwise, the blonde was ashamed to say she'd gone along with it. The woman had kept her from her family for 28 years; she'd be lying if she said that didn't piss her off. It was beyond strange to think that after a lifetime alone, she finally had, not just a family, a whole freaking _town_ that cared about her. Still she couldn't help but think that had it not been for Regina, she could've had that her whole life instead of fighting her way through, wondering if she'd ever find someone to love her.

But the brunette was also the woman who cared for her son when she couldn't. Emma knew that Henry's life hadn't been perfect, but from what he told her, before her son found out about the curse, he and his mom had been really close. The blonde was jealous in that way. She never got to see Henry's first steps, or hear his first word, or watch him smear cake all over himself on his first birthday. She still didn't know what to do if he were ever to get sick, or how to best calm his nightmares. Regina had been there for everything.

"We're here, Ma!" Henry's enthusiasm knocked Emma out of her somber thoughts. She smiled; it would be good for the kid to see his mom again. He never said anything, but it was obvious by the way his face lit up as they rounded the corner to the Mayoral mansion that he'd missed her.

"Ok kid," she said bending down and looking at him sternly, "I hope everything goes well, but remember-"

"Don't be disappointed if she says no," the boy deadpanned rolling his eyes, "_I_ _know_ Ma. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"Alright," Emma sighed, "radio me when you're on the way home and I'll meet you back at the apartment."

"Got it," Henry beamed, giving her a quick squeeze around the waist before bouncing up the steps to the house, "Love you," he called, waving.

"Love you too," Emma smiled as she turned and made her way toward the pawnshop. She was still nervous about leaving Henry with Regina, but she had a feeling he'd be fine. At least his suggestion to go in alone meant she only had to deal with one grouchy ex-sorcerer who hated her guts. Given recent events, that almost sounded peaceful.

* * *

Henry cautiously mounted the steps of his mom's front porch. He almost rang the doorbell, but his hand just hovered above the button.

When his Gramma had given him the fairytale book, back when she was Mary Margret, he'd thought almost nothing of it. The night before, he'd mistakenly come across his adoption papers while looking in the attic for some of his old baby clothes that he was supposed to bring to class for a presentation about his best childhood memory. He'd been looking for his old snow suit, planning to talk about the first time his mom took him sledding, when he was five. Henry had knocked over a box of papers by accident, and found his adoption certificate among the files while cleaning. He was so mad at his mother that day. Saying he'd always felt different and asking her why she didn't tell him. Something changed in Regina then. She lost her temper as soon as he'd said the word _adopted. _She had tried to insist it didn't matter, that she was his mother…but the way she'd said it. She'd ripped the papers from his hand and shouted and ranted that it wasn't any of his business.

That was what angered him the most. It _was _his business and he didn't understand why she didn't want to tell him the truth. Until the book.

At first, he'd thought it was just an ordinary fairytale book that Miss. Blanchard had given him to cheer him up. He'd always been fond of her, and she'd obviously noticed he was having a bad day. But the more he looked at the stories, the more similarities he saw, not just with his mom and the Queen (_They even have the same name_ he remembered thinking) but with everyone in town. He was still mad when he'd first started reading, and the more he learned, the madder he got.

Now standing at the door of the house that he'd called home for the past 11 years, he was scared. Not of The Evil Queen, but of his mom. He hadn't seen he in months. He had treated her so badly since Emma broke the curse. At first it was because he was angry, but the last words she said to him before hiding out in the mansion had lingered in the back of his mind. _No matter what you think, no matter what anyone tells you; I _do _love you. _He'd remembered the tears streaming down her face and the pleading look in her eyes just before she turned and bolted out of the hospital room. Until that moment, he truly thought she hated him ever since he got the book.

Eventually, his desires had won over. He didn't care that she was evil. He missed his mom. About a month after he moved in with his grandparents, he snuck out for the first time. Regina was cautious at first, but as soon as he realized that Henry was sincere, they'd spent many happy afternoons together.

Four months ago, that all came crashing down. Henry had been careless; Emma and David had worked a late shift at the station and caught Regina with her son as they were coming back from a late night ice cream stop. Emma was mad, not at the fact that he was with his mom, but that he'd snuck out to be with her. His grandfather however… That was the first time Henry had truly seen him furious. In seconds he'd drawn his sword (which he felt compelled to carry absolutely everywhere since regaining his memories) and pinned Regina to the wall. Despite Henry's protests that nothing was wrong, he'd uncharacteristically threatened her life, something his grandson never thought he would see Prince Charming do, and dragged Henry away, hardly letting him out of his sight since then. Henry wondered what his mother thought of him. He sure hopped she didn't think he hated her again since he hadn't been able to see him in so long. What would she think of him showing up here unannounced? Did she even want to see him? He almost turned around and headed home, but then he remembered how much he'd had to protest just to see her. He wasn't just going to leave, in spite of his fluttering stomach. He took a deep breath and rang the bell.

* * *

Regina sat inside, nursing her bitter feelings over a glass of cider. This time last year, she and Henry would be baking Christmas cookies. Out of habit, she'd even went and bought all the ingredients for Henry's favorite- homemade gingerbread. Though he'd grown up quickly, decorating gingerbread men and making gingerbread houses was still one of his favorite holiday traditions. Or it used to be.

After the curse broke, Regina wasn't sure what kind of relationship she would have with her son. She knew she'd done some awful things, and she honestly couldn't blame the town when they'd finally forced her into hiding. But of all the roles she'd played in her life; daughter, lover, wife, Evil Queen, the most important one to her had always been mother. She'd truly tried her hardest to be a good mother to Henry, but as he often said, she didn't know how to love very well. Not that she'd ever had a good example to follow. A few months ago, she thought there might be a shot at mending her relationship with her son. When Henry had had first shown up on her door step last March, only two months after he'd moved in with the Charmings, Regina wasn't sure what to think. But as soon as he'd said "I love you"- the first time he'd said that since Mary Margaret had given him that damned book that help break the curse- she decided to take a chance. For a while, Regina was extremely, unimaginably, happy. She may have still been the Evil Queen to Storybrooke, but to her son, she was simply, _finally_,just mom.

She should've known it wouldn't last. Nothing good in her life ever does.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings, jolting her from her stupor. _Who could that be?" _she wonders, reluctantly setting down her glass before getting up. "Henry?" she asks when she sees her son standing uncomfortably on the other side of the door.

"Hey," he waves awkwardly, looking down at his feet.

Regina stares at him for a minute. What's he doing here? She hadn't heard from him in four months, ever since his grandfather _Charming _dragged him away. She was sure they'd poisoned his mind again, that he hated her. So then, why was he standing on her porch, looking like a lost puppy? "Honey…I…what are you doing here?"

Henry blushed, "Can I come in?" he asked bashfully, blowing out puffs of cold air. It was only then that she realized how cold it was; Henry's lips were practically turning blue.

"Oh, of, of course," she stuttered slightly, stepping aside so he could enter the warmth of his, _her_, house. She was still suspicious as to why he'd finally showed up, but she certainly wasn't going to let her son freeze to death.

Henry smiled tentatively and bounded into the house. Regina fought the urge to cringe as icy water droplets from his coat dripped across the floor as he walked to hang it up. Almost as if he were just coming back from school.

As if it were any other day and the curse had never happened.

As if all Regina was, and all she would ever be, was Mom.

The mayor knew it was ridiculous, that she was reading way too far into this. But as simple of an act as that was, it made the former Queen smile. Because she knew it meant there was hope.

Henry turned and looked at her shyly, wincing when he noticed the water trail on the floor. "Sorry," he murmured apologetically, but his mother surprised him by shrugging indifferently.

"It's fine," she assured him. There was an awkward pause before she asked, "So, uh, what are you doing here, honey? I thought…well I haven't heard from you since…" she trailed off, unable to meet his gaze.

Henry's face immediately softened and he inched closer to his mother, just then realizing that she was just as unsure about all of this as he was. "I'm so sorry," he pleaded, hoping he could make her understand. "I know I should have kept in touch, but except for school, Grandma and Grandpa practically had me on lockdown."

Regina gulped down a lump of distaste at hearing her son refer to her once archenemies as his grandparents, but like it or not, and Regina chose not, they were his family too. "You could've written, or tried to call," Regina said. She was glad to know that Henry didn't hate her, but it stung a little that he only seemed to want her if she could be there in person.

"I wanted to call," Henry told her, "but, I was afraid they'd find out and blame you," Regina's face relaxed a bit, "and," he added sheepishly, "since you live so close, I honestly didn't think of writing letters," he glanced down at his shoes for a minute before looking up at his mom, who smiled.

"Well," she reasoned, "you're here now."

Henry beamed and gave his mom a quick hug. She was surprised, but gladly returned it, "I missed you," he mumbled into her.

The warm glow that had taken shape in Regina the moment Henry stepped into the foyer grew and she ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'm missed you too." They stayed there for a few seconds longer before Regina separated and lead him into the living room. "Now," she said, settling on the couch next to him, "there must be a reason you came here other than to tell me you missed me, right?" Henry nodded, his cheeks turning slightly pick as he realized how well he knew her. Regina laughed lightly at her sons expression, Henry smiled, he was glad to see her happy. "Well, go on then," she prompted. "What is it?"

The young boy bit his lip nervously before quickly filling her in, "We can't have the party without a place to host it," he finished in a rush, "Will you help?" he held his breath as he waited for her reaction.

Regina sat there contemplating. One the one hand, why would she want to help any of them; after all, she knew most of the town still hated her. They only came to find her when they wanted something. Why should she give them that satisfaction? But on the other… it was Henry's only Christmas wish. And if it worked, she was guaranteed at least one happy day with her son, albeit a bit of an awkward one given that it would be the first time most of the townspeople would see hr since the curse. Still, Henry was worth it. "All right," she decided, "I'll do it."

Henry jumped up and wrapped his arms around Regina, "You're the best Mom!"

Regina laughed and blinked away a few happy tears. It amazed her how much such a simple act could please her son, and it was the first time he'd called her Mom in what seemed like ages.

They sat there for a while in comfortable silence, before Henry's stomach started to rumble, "Oops," his cheeks pinked in embarrassment, "guess I forgot about lunch."

Regina smiled, "Would you like me to make you something honey?"

Henry licked his lips, food at home was fine, but if it was anything other than breakfast, it was mostly take out. He missed his mom's cooking. "Do you have any left over lasagna?" he asked, his eyes twinkling at the mention of his favorite food.

"I think we might be able to whip something up," she said, leading him into the kitchen.

As Regina went to warm the leftovers, Henry inspected the items left out on the counter, "Are- are these _gingerbread _ingredients?" he asked hopefully as Regina handed him his plate.

His mom's eyes widened, slightly taken aback. She'd forgotten she left those on the counter. "I, uh, well," she stuttered, embarrassed that Henry now knew she'd been holding out hope for them to continue their old holiday tradition, "Yes, I suppose they are." She dared look up at him, fearing her son would be too old for their cookie baking silliness.

Instead, her son beamed up at her, "Awesome!" he practically shouted, "Can we start baking now?" he asked eagerly.

Regina smiled joyfully, pulling her son in for a side hug, "Of course dear, I'd love that."

Henry opened the various ingredients while his mom gathered the baking tools. When he was younger, Regina would poor the ingredients and Henry would mix; this time, they split the work evenly.

Everything was going perfectly; that is, until Henry undid a new bag of flour. A white puffy cloud shot out of the bag covering Henry's face, his mother's skirt, and every once clean space on the counter. The boy winced, waiting for his mother to scold him. She hated messes in her kitchen. But once again, he supposed her by letting out the first genuine belly laughed he'd heard in a long time. Then she balled up some flour in her hand and tossed it all over her son.

The flour war was on.

For the rest of the afternoon mother and son were in their own little world, making up for all the time they'd lost in the curse. They baked and decorated, watched those classic, cheesy Christmas specials like they had every year since Henry was a baby, and simply enjoyed each other's company. Henry had still yet to ask his mother about all those baked goods for the party, but after all the fun they'd had today, he doubted she'd say no. So for now, he simply curled into her and sighed contentedly on the couch.

Phase one of Operation Scrooge was complete. And he had his mom back for the holidays. Santa had answered his biggest Christmas wish, and it wasn't even December 25th. He couldn't wait to see what else was in store for the holidays.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Merry Christmas Eve! Here's chapter 3, the last party planning chapter before the Christmas Carol plot kicks into gear. Hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time and all character's and familiar dialogue from the show belong to Disney/ABC and the show's brilliant creators and writers. No profit is being made from this just having fun with my favorite show. Christmas Carol is a Charles Dickens story, not mine :)**

3

**Tangled Lights, Tangled Family**

Two days later, on the eve of Christmas Eve, Belle slowly made her way up the three flights of stairs in the compound down the street from Granny's that led to her stepson's apartment. After they were married, Belle had invited Balefire to come and live with her and Rumple, but he had politely declined, saying he did not want to get in their way of having a life together as newlyweds. Belle suspected it had more to do with the fact that he still resented his father for abandoning him all those years ago, and by the looks father and son constantly gave each other, she thought she was right.

When the brunette reached apartment 34C, she paused before reaching toward the buzzer. She and Bae were close, that much was true. So true, in fact, that she was the only one who could call him his given name without him flinching. His stepmother knew that her son struggled with coming to terms with _any _of his fairytale past, and the name only reminded him of what he had tried for so long to out run. That's why she was dreading having this particular talk. She had to tread light around such a sensitive subject and Belle knew that no matter how she posed the upcoming conversation, it would start out well. She could only hope Neal wouldn't kick her out the minute he learned the real nature of her visit.

Baring that happy thought in mind, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and pushed the buzzer.

* * *

"Hey, Mom," Neal smiled, opening the door wider once her realized who it was.

Belle smiled. Then she noticed his clothes and couldn't keep herself from giggling. His hair was sticking out in every direction and he wore smiley face boxer shorts with a Mickey Mouse t-shirt that was two sizes too big.

He looked down, suddenly embarrassed, "Yeah," he blushed, "Sorry about this…I, uh, wasn't expecting company,"

"I can't see that," Belle chuckled. Then she looked at him, "May I come in?"

"Sure," Neal looked surprised, but stepped aside so she could pass.

Belle walked in, stepping over piles of clothes on her way. _When was the last time he cleaned?" _she wondered.

"So, uh, don't take this the wrong way, but it's kinda weird that you're here," Neal said while sliding his hands into his pockets, the movement a nervous habit. "You don't usually come to my apartment… actually you never have," he said, wearing an awkward smile. "I don't really see you unless you're with Gold… got a bomb to drop?" he asked, half joking, half serious.

Belle shifted on semi clean chair she'd found to sit on, not able to meet his gaze. She didn't know how this was going to pan out, so she figured she might as well just say it, "What are you doing for Christmas?" she asked nervously.

Neal looked at her for a second, _Uh oh_ he thought, _here it comes._

He loved Belle, he really did, but this was the first Christmas he was actually excited about in the past…well he really didn't know how long. Just a nice, quiet holiday with his kid and… and Emma. They were on friendlier terms, for Henry's sake. Understandably though, she didn't fully trust him yet. Nonetheless, he was looking forward to December 25th. He wondered, only now, just what he might have roped himself into by inviting his stepmother in to chat.

"With any luck, spending the day with my kid… if Emma doesn't mind me crashing her Christmas," he said hopefully. "Why?" he asked, his forehead wrinkled in question.

"Well, uh, Henry noticed his grandpa...that is Rumple… he wants to have a party to cheer Rumple up and well, he'd really like it if you were there." Belle finally looked at him and shifted anxiously, waiting for his answer.

"A party, huh?" Neal questioned, while walking across the room, grabbing some dirty clothes along the way. "What kind of party?" he fought the urge to wince. This would be interesting. The Dark One didn't usually do parties, especially since, knowing Henry, this one was probably meant to be a surprise. But looking at Belle again, he smiled, because he knew his father would do anything for his wife and grandson. _Not like he did for me _a little voice in the back of his mind chirped, but he chose to ignore it. "I'm guessing he isn't planning it alone? Emma and her parents in on it?"

"Well, it's a um, Christmas party." the brunette looked around, wishing she had a task like laundry to distract her, "For the whole town actually. So yeah, they're in on it. What...what do you think? Will you come?"

Neal threw a pile of dirty clothes to the hamper before looking to Belle and saying, "Yeah, guess so… I mean that's where Henry will be, right? As long as Emma's okay with it." It was Christmas after all, so he might as well give it a shot. And it was the only way he could spend the day with his son soo… _Guess I'm going a party, _he thought ruefully.

Belle mentally, wiped her brow; this had been easier than she thought, "Thanks Bae," she said, crossing the room to give him a big hug, "Henry will be so happy you said yes." _As will your father, _she added, but decided to keep that thought to herself.

With a smile, Neal wrapped his arms around his stepmother. "Wouldn't miss another Christmas with my kid. Missed too many already… you sure Emma's okay with it?"

Belle hugged her stepson tighter, "Henry doesn't blame you for that," she assured him. "And yes, Emma is on board with whatever will make her son happy."

"Okay, well then I guess we'll all see each other at the party… should be interesting… seeing my father at a holiday party… it'll be a Christmas no one forgets," he joked, trying to make light of the situation. Trying to hide the fact that he didn't care all that much to spend the special day with the man who let him grow up an orphan

"It sure will be interesting," Belle released him from her grasp and gave him a thin smile. She saw right through his words, but he was willing to try. And that was a start, "See you on Christmas Bae," she smiled, walking backward toward the door.

"Yup," Neal agreed, a smile on his face as he shut the door behind her, "See you soon mom"

* * *

"How in the hell are these lights so tangled every freaking year?" Emma groaned in frustration, "They weren't this tangled when Mary Margaret put them away last year!"

Charming laughed, "Honestly? I have absolutely no idea."

It had been Emma's job to get the decorations, but apparently, Storybrooke Mary Margaret was a bit of a Christmas fanatic. They had an attic full of ornaments and other festive knick-knacks; way more than they would ever use in the apartment. She had helped Emma and David take a few boxes to town hall that morning. Henry had spent the winter soltice at Regina''s house and informed them the next day that his mom had agreed to both bake and book Town Hall for the party. That's where he was now, baking, as Regina insisted she needed all the help she could get. She wanted to do most of the baking the old fashioned way, magic free that is, so naturally her son dove right in when she asked for assistance.

Emma was happy for Henry; she knew just by the sound of his voice how glad he was to have Regina back in his life, for however long it lasted. Now she sat in the biggest room of the hall with her father, trying unsuccessfully to untangle a hopelessly knotted ball of Christmas tree lights, even bigger than the ones David had worked on in the house, to decorate the massive tree that Gepetto had brought as an unexpected contribution. Clearly Snow and Red had done their job, because the whole town was abuzz about the upcoming party.

"Arg!" she groaning throwing them down in frustration, "Why couldn't we just buy one of those fancy pre-lit trees? One of my foster families had one, and from the looks of it, it was much less work."

Her father abandoned the box of ornaments he'd been sorting and came to sit by her, "Mind if I try?"

"Knock yourself out," Emma said, relieved to thrust the yarn-like light ball into his hands. She didn't even notice his expression change. The way it always did when she talked about her other families.

Emma was bent over the box of ornaments, finishing the job he'd stopped in order to help her, when she heard David ask, "What was it like?"

The blonde paused, halfway bent down to pick up another ornament, to make sure she understood him. The question was barely a mumble, but she was pretty sure she knew what he meant. _Aw shit _she thought. She _did not_ want to get into this. Instead, she tried to stall, "What was what like?" she asked, her back still turned toward him as she pretended to play dumb.

"Emma," Charming chided.

Even with her back turned, she could sense the eye roll he was giving her. Still, she did not acknowledge him.

Her father sighed, "Look, you don't have to tell me,"

Emma exhaled loudly, glad that he wasn't going to push her. That was the biggest difference between her parents -man that was still so weird to say, even in her head- Snow would push and push, desperately wanting to know much more than her daughter was ready to give. Most of their mother-daughter conversations usually let Emma either boiling angry that her mother had to know absolutely everything right that friggin' second, or raw and exposed, something she had no desire to be. David, on the other hand, understood that these things took time. Years of trust issues didn't just disappear over night. Se needed time to adjust, and he seemed to accept that. Better than his wife anyway.

"But we _do _want to know, ok? _I_ want to know. It doesn't have to be now, but eventually… Even if it will hurt, I want to know what your life was like before…all this."

Emma groaned and finally turned around. Unfortunately, it looked like today was going to be one of those days where her father would do what she would call, "killing her with kindness". He would act like it wasn't a big deal, like it didn't matter if he knew just then, but something in his expression would make her tell him anyway. "Do we really have to do this now?" she huffed, slightly irritated.

Charming smirked. She was caught; hook, line, sinker, and he knew it. "If it would help, I could tell a story too," he suggested mildly.

Emma resisted the urge to grin. Was he really trying to tempt her with story time? It sure looked like it. The blonde would never give her father the satisfaction of knowing this, but she was as interested as knowing about his life as a prince- even if it was a fairytale to her- as he was to get to know her. She pretended to contemplate for a few minutes; not wanting him to know his tactic had worked. Her face betrayed her though, lips curling into a small smile when she huffed "Fine," acting like it was a big deal for her to accept his offer, "but you have to go first."

David's smile widened as Emma came to sit next to him, taking a smaller, slightly less tangled light ball and pulling it into her lap. "I think that can be arranged. What do you want to know?"

_Hmm_. What did she want to know? Emma thought, absentmindedly working a particularly difficult knock as her mind wondered. She knew she didn't want to go too deep, not at a time of year when everyone was supposed to be cheerful. She also knew that whatever question she chose to ask her father, she would only have to answer herself later, so she figured it best to think of the story she was going to tell before she divulged a question to David. After racking her brain for a good, less than depressing tale to tell- they were there for sure, but few and far between -she finally asked, "What's you're best Christmas memory from back home?"

Charming smiled, it was much more of a sentimental question than he'd expected from his usually tight-lipped daughter. He didn't know much about her yet, but he knew enough to figure out that the life they sentenced her to after he put her in that wardrobe had been far from the one she was supposed to have had as a princess. He knew it was hard for her to remember her past, so he was willing to take whatever she wanted to give.

"Alright then, lets see… well, we didn't really have Christmas back home, although, I think that might change if we ever go back, so mine isn't a specific memory, but more a holiday," he started.

"So, what did you guys do?"

"Well," Charming thought, "Our biggest celebration was the winter solstice. Every year on the twenty first of December there was a big party. Each village would set up a big tree in Town Square with all kinds of homemade ornaments and trinkets; almost the whole village would contribute somehow."

"Wow,"

David shook his head, "Yeah, it was pretty cool. And at night there was a big potluck dinner and dance in the village chapel. Everyone would spend the day at home, cooking delicious holiday foods- my mom made a pheasant stew that would have everyone salivating just thinking about it."

Emma scrunched her nose, "Pheasant, really?"

"Don't knock it til you try it sweetheart," he chuckled, seeming to pay no attention at the endearment that made the blonde take in a sharp, discomforted breath. "Anyway, all the kids would spend the day outside playing, if we were lucky, it would snow. And then later, everyone would get dressed up and head to the church for a night full of food, friends, and fun."

"It sounds like a blast," Emma admitted.

"It was. But the best part," her father continued, "was after the dance. The fairies would come light all the trees in pixie dust and-"

"Pixie dust? Why Pixie dust?" Then her eyes widened, "Wait…is that why Belle thought we were going to light the tree on fire? Cause oil in the lanterns from your land would burn the tree down?"

"Exactly," Charming laughed, "After the tree was lit, everyone would stand around it and sing holiday songs."

"You mean you guys went all Kumbaya around a tree?" Emma smirked. Her father shoved her.

"I know it sounds cheesy, but it was the best part of the holiday."

* * *

"Right." The blonde sniffed. Charming rolled his eyes as she got up to start stringing the tree with the lights she'd _finally _untangled, "Okay my turn," she sighed as David followed behind her with the ornaments.

"Yep," he stated matter of factly, but he kept his eyes trained on the tree, not wanted to pressure her too much.

"I guess my best Christmas was when I was about seven. I had just gotten my third set of foster parents, the Lynns," David tried not to cringe at that statement. "They had four other kids already, three adopted and one foster, so I figured it would be just like all the other places I'd stayed, I 'd just be one in a sea of kids, you know? But it was actually really nice. That was the first, -and only time until last year- that I got to bake Christmas cookies. Amy, my foster mom, said they had a family tradition, the two youngest, me and a boy named Cody, who was nine, got to bake cookies while the older two, the adopted twins Britney and Grace, would decorate the tree with Jason, my foster dad. Then the oldest kid, Andy, would put the star on top."

Charming smiled as he watched his daughter's face slowly light up as she described the scene.

"We had a big dinner on the 24th," she continued, smiling at her father, "and in the morning, we opened gifts. I got a few small things, which was unusual in it of itself, because usually I lived with so many other kids that we…" she watched her father's face droop and decided to just skip over that part, "Anyway," she said, clearing her throat as she finished stringing the last of the lights and picked up a few stray ornaments to put up, "they were also the family that gave me my red leather jacket."

David raised an eyebrow, "You got that jacket when you were seven?"

"Yeah," the blonde admitted, slightly sheepish. "Jason had a brown one that he always let me play with so… He got me a big one so I could grow into it and I've worn it ever since."

Her father wanted to ask watch had happened with them, why she had to leave, but he knew that would make her far too uncomfortable so instead he smiled, "That sounds like a wonderful Christmas, Emma."

"Yeah," she said wistfully, "it was."

They kept on decorating for awhile, settling into a not totally uncomfortable silence until Charming noticed something as they stepped back to admire the almost completed tree.

"We're going to run out of tinsel," he realized, looking at the half filled box and back at the twelve-foot tree.

"Does it really matter?" There was so much stuff covering it already, did they really need anything else?

"To me? Absolutely not. But to you're mother?"

The blonde shook her head ruefully, curls swinging, "I'll go see if Gold has some at his shop. That man has _everything._"

Her father smiled, "How bout this, you get the tinsel and I'll meet you back here in about twenty minutes with some of Granny's hot chocolate. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," she grinned before heading out, "See you in twenty."

* * *

**Next time, Emma goes to find Gold, and things get a little rocky...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: And let the Christmas Carol portion commence! This would've been up yesterday, but FF wasn't letting me upload.. A big thank you to WritelkeUmeanit for helping me out of my writer's block with this chap as well as betaing for me! And to Emile Brown for the awesome cover! Enjoy! Reviews make me happy! **

**Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time and all character's and familiar dialogue from the show belong to Disney/ABC and the show's brilliant creators and writers. No profit is being made from this just having fun with my favorite show. Christmas Carol is a Charles Dickens story, not mine :)**

4

**A Ghostly Warning**

Emma knew something was wrong the minute she was within sight of the pawnshop. From the outside, it looked normal, but to the sheriff something was just…off. She picked up the pace to a brisk walk and when she reached the door, she discovered her instincts had been correct. The inside was a wreck. The glass counter had toppled over and various fragile items were in pieces on the floor. Scraps of clothing were strewn everywhere, and the selves were falling off the walls.

The blonde cautiously walked in, careful to avoid broken pieces, scanning for signs of a break in, but finding none. No broken windows or picked locks, nothing in the room that didn't belong there.

Then she heard a groan from the back room.

That's odd she thought. Guard up, weapon ready, she made her way into the pawnbroker's office. Rumplestiskin was lying on the couch, grumbling in a half-asleep stupor as a flask of whisky tumbled from his hand.

"Damn it Gold!" she hissed as the pieces came together. For whatever reason, the stupid imp had decided to get drunk, and when that didn't work, he'd had a temper tantrum, Dark One style and proceeded to keep drinking until he was like this. When Emma felt his wrist, there was definitely a pulse, but it was faint. She fished her phone out of her pocket, first dialing the hospital and then calling Belle; this was a job for his wife, not Emma.

* * *

An hour later, Belle, Neal, Emma, and the Charmings sat in the waiting room on Storybrooke's hospital. Henry, much to Emma's dismay, was there as well. He was supposed to stay with Ruby because even though he was worried, everyone agreed he shouldn't see Gold like this. But being Emma's soon, he'd snuck in the back of his grandparent's car and gone anyway. Belle had called David and Snow for support, and of course Bae had insisted on coming along as soon as he heard the news. He may not have been on the best of terms with his father, but he wanted to be there for Belle.

"I don't what to do Snow," the brunette sighed, "I knew Christmas made him unhappy, but I never thought…"

"It'll be okay Belle. Doctor Whale said he was going to be fine,' she tried to reassure her friend.

"My father may do a lot of foolish things, but he's strong, he'll pull through this," Bae told her, laying his hand on top of his stepmother's.

Belle squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile, "I sure hope so."

* * *

_Rumpelstiltskin was in his living room. His living room in the Dark Castle. All was quiet save for the crackling fireplace and he sat in front of his spinning wheel, entranced in his work. Briefly, the imp wondered how he'd gotten there. The last thing he remembered, he'd been in his shop… He winced when he remembered the temper tantrum he'd had, and countless amount of alcohol he'd downed. He'd been thinking of Baelfire, of the deal he'd made- and only one he'd ever broken. All Christmas had ever brought him was pain, and as the holiday loomed closer, the memories started to overwhelm him and he'd just...lost it._

_"But how did I end up here?" he wondered aloud. He wanted to get up, look around and try to figure out how he'd gotten back in his old castle. But his eyes stumbled upon his old spinning wheel. A smirk grew to his face. He'd spent countless days and nights sitting by that wheel and threading gold. It was almost as if he were in a trance as he wandered over to the wheel and sat down._

_He began doing the task he once did on a daily basis when suddenly a harsh wave of cold air blew through the room. Suddenly, the large, rounded, castle window blew open, despite the fact the Rumple always, always, demanded it stay locked. The thick, red velvet curtains blew around as a frigid gust of wind whooshed into the room and snuffed out the fire, the only source of warmth and light in the now pitch black room._

_"Rumplestilskin" a ghostly voice chanted. The man jumped, his heart rate flying as he frantically scanned the room for the source of the erie voice._

_Once upon a time, Rumple was the village coward. He injured himself and ran away from the first Ogre war so his son would not have to live fatherless, as the Seer had predicted. He'd thought he was doing the noble thing, but many shunned him for it, including his own wife._

And my son grew up fatherless anyway,_ he thought bitterly._

_As the Dark One, he could defeat anyone that stood in his way, so now, little frightened him. Little...except that cold, haunting voice. "Who...who's there?" the imp asked, trying to sound like his old, cunning self -and failing miserably._

_Only silence greeted him. He still saw nothing. His brows furrowed in confusion. He waited a moment, wanting the source of the sound to reveal itself.. but nothing came. So he wandered back to his spinning wheel. He began threading gold when he noticed the fireplace was bare. Rumple made his way over to the fireplace, walking carefully across the room, thoughts of the mysterious voice still lingering in his head. When he reached the fireplace, he immediately sighed in relief when after throwing a fireball at the wood, the logs became consumed by flames, their shadows dancing along the walls._

_Just as he was getting up, glad to have the fire alive a striking figure flew in through the window. Rumple found himself turning to the coward he once was as he stumbled back against the wall._

_"Rumple-stilkin" the shadow chanted again, enunciating the word this time._

_Rumple tried conjuring magic, but found he was unable to do saw. This shadow had rendered him powerless. For the first time in many moons, Rumpelstitlskin found himself to be a coward, just as he used to be… in what felt like a previous life._

_Rumple tried to will his power to come forth when suddenly the shadow changed form. His eyes widened in shock when it transformed into Milah… Milah, the mother of his son. His first love. The only woman he ever loved._

_"Rumple," the now female voice said, the words melodic, almost comforting._

_The firelight bounced off of her translucent skin, highlighting her features. Long hair flowed behind her and, though her dress was torn, she managed to make it look glamorous. It was exactly how her remembered her._

_Except, it wasn't. Because dangling around her arms, wrapped in her dress, and twisted in her hair, were large, heavy, chains._

_"Mi- Milah?" he asked, eyes still widen in shock. "What… how… what's happened to you?" he stuttered. _

_The woman smiled, "Yes Rumple, it is me."_

_"But, but...how?" he reached out to touch her, but his hand slipped straight through her waist. "What are you doing here?" he asked, her presence both calming and horrifying him a bit. "What am I doing here?"_

_"Patience, Rumplestiskin." she shushed him harshly. "I haven't much time,"_

_"But-" the ghost raised her hand to quiet him._

_"You are dreaming. I have been called here to warn you."_

_"Warn me?" he questioned, perplexed._

_"Yes. You've led a very selfish life., Rumple. You try to be better, but each time you fall deeper into the trap"_

_"But I-"_

_"The things I told you were wrong Rumple. I was not a god wife to you, nor a good mother to Baelfire."_

_"Milah you-"_

_"I abandoned you and our son. Because of my selfish actions, I now remain in these chains for the horrible sins I committed while alive" she said, spinning around so he could see the full impact of her burden._

_Rumple just stared at her, unable to form any words._

_"But don't mistake. You aren't much better than I. You see, many years ago, you did far worse. Not only did you abandon our son, but you traded him for power… turning into the Dark One made you a greedy man."_

_"Milah, what was I to do? If I went with him, I would lose the only thing that gave me courage in life."_

_Milah snarled at him, "You're wrong, Rumplestilskin. I hope they can show you that, since I cannot."_

_"They?" he asked her._

_"I was not given a second chance, Rumple. You have one. On Christmas Eve, three spirits shall visit you. Listen to them, head they're warnings, and you will not suffer my fate." She glared at him pointedly, "but fail to see the light and you will destroy many more lives and be in tortured in the depths of the Underworld."_

_"But Milah, I don't understand. What have I…? Why have they…? What is happening?" he stuttered, his voice full of desperation._

_Suddenly, an unseen clock chimed midnight and his ex-wife's ghost begin to dissipate. "I must go now," she rasped, "but remember what I said. "Change now. This is your last chance…. or I promise you, Rumple, you will forever regret it."_

_"Wait-" the imp called, but she was gone and the castle was quickly fading away as he fell into darkness._

* * *

The bright fluorescent lights of the hospital room stung his eyes. He felt a warm hand his cheek. "Belle?" he asked.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she was smiling, "Yes dear, I'm right here."

"I had the strangest dream." he confessed

"The doctor said the medicine could induce hallucinations." she explained. "You were so dehydrated Rumple! I thought… Nevermind. I will fetch Dr. Whale and see if we can get you home to rest."

Rumple smiled at her as she walked out of the room, but the dream lingered it the back of his mind. It had all seemed so real… The man shook his head. Belle had said it herself, he was ion medications that easily caused strange dreams.

He breathed a heavy sigh. That was all it was. A dream. Something his intoxicated mind had cooked up to calm him in his stupor. Or frighten him. It was definitely more terrifying than comforting.

He knew he shouldn't worry, it was over now. He had his powers and he was back hme. With Belle. In Storybrooke.

It was just a dream, he thought to himself. ...Right?

* * *

**Hope you liked it! Reviews make me happy!**

**Also If you're creative and love Once Upon a Time, check out the Facebook group that I started with fellow Oncers! OUAT Fan Fiction and Creations. groups/614638418572686/ We have all kinds of games and art/writing contests planned! Come join us!**


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